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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Property Renovation and Weddings

When the weekends ain't enough, the weeknights are used. I was out on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Property Is Not Really A Passive Investment

Rental investment property and rental income in reality is a semi-passive form of income. Theoretically it is considered passive but you could find yourself painting, gardening and scooping up dog crap like me and that doesn't convey an image of passiveness does it? Or tenants asking you about this or that which has broken and needs repairing.

Last week, my folks wrapped up paperwork on an investment property that they bought. The house requires some cosmetic renovations so on Saturday, my friend(W) and family did some painting. First the undercoat of paint. Holes and dents were puttied over. This weekend should be the final coat of paint. The garden will require some work and redesigning. I've been thinking about the garden. It's currently a mess with overgrown weeds and the worst plant combinations. I would have thought it'd be more logical to plan the garden before landscaping and planting anything. But alas, they planted everything in an adhoc manner. This is how it currently looks:

I plan to do some weeding, fix up the garden bed and clearly separate the garden from the lawn. Painting and gardening is quite fun and enjoyable. I love transformations. It's not the first time I've painted so I'm slowly improving without dripping too much all over the place and applying a more consistent layer. The paint rollers are like my new best friends! The previous owners were rather unhygienic. There must've been almost one kilo(two pounds) of dog crap on the lawn.

Didn't they realise that all the dust, dog crap and fur smothering the place detracted from getting the best sale price? If that was my house, I'd have given it a good scrub, cleaned up the lawn and wiped up every dusty surfaces to maximise the sale price and entice would-be buyers to fight for the property.

A clean, well maintained property with beautiful interiors and landscaped lawns will always trump something dirty and untidy. It will lure a more affluent class of tenants too. There's a lot of work to do on the place before it can be rented out so hopefully I'll remember to document before and after shots of the renovation and redesign.

The Wedding

Two friends got married on Sunday at St Thomas' Anglican Church at North Sydney. The church was originally built in 1846 but since then replaced by a larger design which opened in 1884. It's a grand, historic church with huge organs and a rich, red carpet leading up to the altar.

The reception was held at WatersEdge situated on Pier one. The view is breathtaking with unobstructed views towards Luna Park, Walsh Bay, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. The alternate entrees and mains were average and nothing special. Fortuately for WatersEdge, they have a beautiful location and specialise in functions rather than in the business of restauranting.

Some scenic shots around the venue:

On the left: These aren't books. They are super cute boxes for inserting wedding cards and 'hong bao' (red moneybags) which are traditional in a lot of Asian weddings. Money as a gift form has been gaining popularity ever since couples started cohabitating together prior to marriage. By the time they actually marry, their abode is jam packed with household goods and items already, so the traditional gift registry is heading down the path of the dinosaurs.

How much to give? The general guildline absolute minimum is $100 and that's bordering on stingy believe it or not. Due to inflation, wedding gifts of hong baos should be over $100. At least $150 as a starting point per person if you're not struggling financially.

Our table was a corner one with sweeping views of Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge. I should have entered prior to guests entering so that I could get uninterrupted and unmussed up shots of the place.
The wedding cake was cute with the dress decoration on top, custom made to resemble the bride's actual wedding dress.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House looks nondescript in the daytime, but when night falls, they obtain their beautiful glow. It's as if the daylight is harsh on their features while the night light softens their wrinkles:

1 comment:

It looks good. Very nice place for a wedding.Smartbox self storage on demand, we deliver, you pack, we collect and store - perfect for people looking to store their furniture when renovating. www.smartbox2u.com.au

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